Grant Program Suspended for Fiscal Year 2021 (July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021)

The purpose of this program is to increase opportunities for safe, legal and environmentally acceptable motorized recreation on public roads.

Program Overview

Expenditures of the Multi-Use Roadway Safety Account may be used only for: (a) counties to perform safety engineering analysis of mixed vehicle use on any road within a county; (b) local governments to provide funding to install signs providing notice to the motoring public that (i) wheeled all-terrain vehicles (WATV) are present or (ii) wheeled all-terrain vehicles may be crossing; (c) the state patrol or local law enforcement for purposes of defraying the costs of enforcement of this act; and (d) law enforcement to investigate accidents involving wheeled all-terrain vehicles. Funds may be used on any road owned by local, state and federal government agencies provided that the agency has authorized use of the road for wheeled all-terrain vehicles. Refer to the WATV sign fact sheet (pdf 315 kb) for information on the types of signs that are eligible for funding under this program.

Eligible Applicants

Local government agencies, State Patrol, and local law enforcement agencies in Washington are eligible to apply.

Available Funding

Currently $450,000 is available in the Multiuse Roadway Safety Account,subject to the following conditions:

1. 25% of the amount is reserved for counties that each have a population of 15,000 persons or less.
2. 75% of the amount is reserved for counties that each have a population exceeding 15,000 persons.
3. No county that receives a grant under item b above may receive no more than $60,000 in total grants.

Program Requirements

Agencies must comply with the following requirements as part of their project.

1. Program recipients are required to report quarterly on the status of the project.
2. Signs must conform to the manual on uniform traffic control devices. Refer to the WATV sign fact sheet (pdf 315 kb) for additional information on WATV signs.
3. Proposals that include routes crossing a state highway require approval by the WSDOT Region Traffic Engineer. Before the Region Traffic Engineer can sign the application, they will need to verify that the proposal meets the design standards in the RCW as compiled in the WATV Use on State Highways (pdf 66 kb) document.

Grant Applications

Electronic copies of the following are to be included in the submittal:

• A completed application saved as either a Word (49 kb) or PDF (116 kb) document with appropriate signatures.
• A vicinity map showing the project location and project limits.
• For signage proposals the application must identify the types of signs to be used and the locations where they are to be installed.
• A copy of the local ordinance authorizing WATV use.

Grant Submittal Process

Applications must be submitted by e-mail with completed application as either a PDF or Word Doc — paper submittals will not be accepted. Applications must be sent to hlpgrants@wsdot.wa.gov

Program Contacts

Melanie Vance : 360-705-7376 : Environmental Policy Manager
Region Local Program Engineers

Selection Process

All applications will be reviewed by WSDOT to ensure that they are complete and eligible for funding. A Technical Advisory Committee will assist WSDOT in evaluating and prioritizing project proposals.

Review Criteria

The following are examples of the considerations that will be used to evaluate and rank the project proposals.

• Completeness of the application
• Extent of use of roads in the project area by wheeled all-terrain vehicles.
• Documentation of driving hazards within the project area.
• Accident history involving WATVs within the project area.
• Special consideration will be given to projects that leverage other funds.
• Extent of support by WATV clubs and community of stakeholders.